- PDP, governors kick, insist Ighodalo won, petition INEC chair
After months of intense politicking in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday night declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the keenly contested Saturday 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party who got 247,274 votes and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party who came a distant third in the race with 22,761 votes.
Fourteen other candidates contested the seat but got less than the three frontline candidates.
“That Okpebholo Monday of APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” INEC’s Returning Officer for the poll, Prof Faruk Kuta, said at exactly 09:27 pm, to delightful cheers from APC supporters at the collation centre in Benin City, the state capital on Sunday.
Kuta, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, in Niger State, declared the winner of the poll after a series of recesses.
The APC candidate cleared over 10 of the 18 local government areas, leaving the PDP candidate with marginal victory in the other local councils.
“Okpebholo’s victory could also be attributed to his alliance with Dennis Idahosa, his running mate who is a federal lawmaker; and Obaseki’s estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu”
The APC gained control in two of the three battleground senatorial districts in the state.
Okpebholo, the Edo Central Senator, leveraged significant influence in his senatorial district, and joined forces with his colleague in the National Assembly from Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to defeat Ighodalo, the anointed candidate of the outgoing governor.
Okpebholo’s victory could also be attributed to his alliance with Dennis Idahosa, his running mate who is a federal lawmaker; and Obaseki’s estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu.
The declaration on Sunday evening brought Okpebholo closer to achieving his goal of becoming governor of the state and placed his party, the APC, on the cusp of a return to power at the Dennis Osadebe Government House.
The APC lost power in the state in 2020 after the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, defected from the party to the PDP in the heat of an intra-party squabble and fallout with his predecessor, Oshiomhole.
After he was denied the APC governorship ticket, Obaseki joined the PDP and clinched the ticket to defeat APC’s Osagie Ize-Iyamu to seal his second term which will end on November 12, 2024.
Obaseki campaigned strongly for Ighodalo, while Oshiomhole was a focal figure for Okpebholo’s campaign, attending rallies and interviews on behalf of the APC candidate.
Okpebholo was declared winner of Saturday’s election amid protests by supporters of the PDP who strongly posited that the results were fabricated and did not represent the will of the people.
There were protests in parts of the state capital and outside the INEC collation centre, which was heavily guarded for the collation exercise.
Governor Obaseki had earlier stormed the collation centre to protest the exclusion of PDP agents from the venue but was escorted out of the premises by armed security agents.
At the collation centre, PDP agent, Tony Iyoha, called for the suspension of the entire election over alleged irregularities.
Similarly, the party’s chairman in the state, Anthony Aziegbemi, explained that the discrepancies between figures on the EC8 form don’t tally with those on INEC’s IReV platform.
The PDP Governors’ Forum also asked the electoral umpire to respect the will of the people of Edo State and let their votes count.
The Forum alleged that the exercise was fraught with electoral malpractices.
The PDP governors led to Edo by Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, faulted some of the results announced, saying they don’t tally with those on IReV.
According to INEC, 2,249,780 persons with Permanent Voters’ Cards decided Obaseki’s successor on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.
PDP, governors back Fintiri, insist Ighodalo won
However, the People’s Democratic Party and its Governors Forum have expressed support for the Chairman of the Edo State Governorship Election National Campaign Council, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, who stated that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, clearly won the state governorship election.
On Sunday, Fintiri stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission should be held accountable for violating the Electoral Act.
In a statement on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, responded by explaining that Fintiri presented results from the polling units showing Ighodalo in a clear lead.
Ologunagba claimed that this was before the state collation exercise being taken over by the APC, which allegedly conspired with some dishonest INEC and security officials to alter and replace the authentic results with falsified figures favouring the defeated APC candidate.
The statement read, “The People’s Democratic Party stands by the results of the Edo State governorship election as garnered by its polling agents across the state and echoed by the Chairman of the Edo PDP National Campaign Council, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State which indicate that the PDP candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, clearly won the election.
“The PDP asserts that the rush, venom and hauling of insults with which the All Progressives Congress attacked Governor Fintiri only confirms APC’s violent desperation to cover its manipulations and steal the mandate freely given to Dr. Asue Ighodalo by the people of Edo State as reflected in the genuine votes cast at the Polling Units.
“As Governor Fintiri presented, the results collated from the Polling Units have Asue Ighodalo in clear lead before the state collation exercise was hijacked by the APC which, in connivance of some unscrupulous INEC and security officials, engaged in blatant alteration and substitution of the genuine results with fabricated figures in favour of the defeated APC candidate.
“The PDP had on several occasions alerted Nigerians of this sinister plot by the APC which will be firmly resisted as the APC and its candidate Monday Okpebholo were thoroughly defeated in the election.”
The PDP spokesman warned that any attempt to alter the results of the governorship election and award victory to a defeated candidate will lead to serious repercussions.
The statement added, “The PDP in the strongest terms cautions the APC and INEC not to announce or declare any result that does not reflect the will of the people as expressed at the Polling Units. Such will be a recipe for a huge crisis in the state as the people of Edo State will never allow their mandate in illegitimate hands.
“Our party again cautions INEC not to lose sight of the violent protest that trailed the criminal attempt by the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Ari to alter the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in that state which nearly led to the death of some INEC officials.
“Any attempt to change the results of the Edo State governorship election and allocate victory to a defeated candidate will provoke worse consequences.”
In a related development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, praised the people of Edo State for turning out in large numbers to fulfill their duty in choosing their governor for the next four years.
The PDP Governors Forum clarified that Fintiri only shared the results from a few local government areas that were already collated and available on the INEC IREV portal.
According to the forum this was intended to prevent manipulation by dishonest individuals and to protect the integrity of the election process.
The statement read in part, “We have no doubt that given the laudable achievements of the exiting governor, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki, and the qualities of our governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the enlightened Edo electorate would have had no difficulty in making the right choice, particularly given the hardship that the APC Administration is spreading nationwide.
“We note with immense pride and satisfaction, the role being played by the PDP Governors, His Excellency Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, His Excellency Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Governor Dr. Agbu Kefas of Taraba State and His Excellency, the Rt. Hon. Sherif Francis Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State who has painstakingly monitored the exercise in accordance with the law and guided the electorate to remain calm and law abiding throughout the entire process.
“We are satisfied that our colleagues as led by His Excellency Governor Ahmadu Fintiri simply stated the results of a few local government areas as were already collated and captured on the INEC IREV portal, with a view to forestalling any manipulation by unscrupulous elements and, ultimately, averting a situation that could throw the exercise into disrepute and the nation into political jeopardy. Therefore, the public is advised to disregard the mischievous accusation by the APC that anyone usurped INEC’s responsibility, let alone distinguished Nigerians who are governors in their respective states.”
PDP-elected governors urged INEC to announce results that accurately reflect the wishes of the Edo people as expressed through their votes on Saturday.
It added, “As the process runs its course, we wish to remind the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of the need to live up to the oath of office of the Commission’s principal officers and the expectations of the people, to serve as an impartial umpire committed to deepening our multi-party democracy and the survival of our country.
“As the country perches on the horns of grave economic and security challenges, it is our expectation that INEC and everyone involved in the Edo Governorship Elections will respect the sovereign wishes of the people of Edo State and spare the nation the unpredictable consequences of a disputed result at this time.
“This becomes more imperative, especially in the face of the threat to democracy by the total state capture inclination of the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC government.
“The PDPGF unequivocally reiterates its commitment to democratic best practices, and the peace and stability of a united Nigeria in which the citizens are not only spared the contrived ordeal of the moment but, more importantly, provided alternative opportunities to realise their legitimate dreams.
“Finally, we stand with our Governors, H/E Fintiri, H/E Diri, H/E Agbu Kefas and H/E Oborevwori of Adamawa, Bayelsa, Taraba and Delta States respectively, on all the actions and positions that they have taken on our behalf, with respect to maintaining the sanctity of the elections.”
PDP petitions INEC chair, demands review of election results
Meanwhile, the Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has petitioned the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged “massive irregularities” in the collated governorship election results from 16 local government areas of the State.
Chairman of the party in the State, Tony Aziegbemi, made the demand in a protest letter addressed to the INEC chairman.
The PDP chairman, in a letter titled, “Protest against manufactured vote entries and unjust deduction of PDP votes in the collation of results of Edo State governorship election”, alleged that the electoral officers appointed by INEC for the election “made entries that are totally different from the actual results as uploaded on the INEC IREV, thereby unjustly inflating votes in favour of the APC and deducting the votes of the PDP.”
He cited discrepancies in the votes recorded for his party in local government areas where the APC won with wide margins.
Aziegbemi said, “a simple collation of all the votes recorded in the polling unit (Akoko-Edo) results uploaded on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 25,010 votes while 34,847 votes was recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV is 18,620 but 15,865 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“It would interest you that in Ward 9 Akoko Edo LGA, from the 36 Polling Unit results uploaded on the IREV, the total votes obtained by APC is 2,350 while 9104 was entered into the EC8B result for APC. The total votes for PDP is 1,359 while 633 was entered in the EC8B.
“Also, in Ward 6 Akoko Edo LGA, where elections did not hold in Ward 6 Units 12, 17, 15, 18, 14 and 16, results were returned for the said polling units in the Ward Result sheet (EC8B).”
He went further to explain that a simple collation of all the votes recorded in the polling unit results uploaded on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 10,972 votes while 16,760 votes were instead recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
He said, “While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV’s 14,485 but 14,658 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“It would interest you to note that the collation of the Egor LGA was not done at the designated LGA centre but was moved to the INEC State HQ and the PDP agent was not allowed access to be part of the exercise.”
The Edo PDP chairman also cited examples of alleged deductions of votes from his party’s scores “recorded for Etsako West LAG on the IREV shows that the APC obtained 29,858 votes while 32,107 votes was recorded in the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.”
He explained, “While for the PDP, a collation of the votes from the results uploaded on the IREV is 16,712 but 17,483 was returned on the EC8C declared by the LGA Returning Officer.
“The above highlighted irregularities which are very apparent are extremely scandalous and a brazen attempt to steal the mandate of the PDP and also a terrible embarrassment to the commission.
“We therefore demand the immediate re-collation and recomputation of the actual results for the various polling units in the above highlighted Local Government Areas in compliance with the INEC guidelines and regulations which mandates that votes from various units and wards be properly collated.”
Election observers express concern over transparency
Election observer groups have also raised concerns about the transparency of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the governorship election in Edo State.
The election observer groups made their position known in a statement jointly signed by the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER and TAF Africa on Sunday.
The statement read, “We, the undersigned accredited civil society organisations observing the 2024 Edo Governorship Election, express concern over the transparency of the ongoing results collation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centres, including intimidation of INEC officials and attempts to collate results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, raise significant concerns about the credibility of the results collation process.
“We acknowledge INEC’s recent statement recognising reports of result mutilation and its commitment to investigate and address any proven violations.”
It added, “In light of this, we urge INEC to invoke its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 to review any declarations and returns where results were not declared voluntarily or violated provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC regulations, and guidelines.
“We further call on security agencies to refrain from interference in the collation process and to ensure that accredited party agents, the media, and election observers are granted full access to collation centres. We wish to emphasise that the role of security agencies in the election is to safeguard the process and not to create a situation that will undermine the transparency of the process and thus impact negatively on the credibility of the outcome of the election.”
See your victory as challenging call to service, Tinubu tells Okpebholo
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress candidate in Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, on his victory at the polls.
“The PDP had on several occasions alerted Nigerians of this sinister plot by the APC which will be firmly resisted as the APC and its candidate Monday Okpebholo were thoroughly defeated in the election”
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu commended APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for working hard to achieve victory.
He said the victory testified to the people’s support for the ruling party, its progressive ideals, its economic reengineering programme and its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.
Tinubu urged the governor-elect not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service.
He encouraged him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development.
Tinubu also praised other candidates who participated in the election for their contributions to advancing Nigeria’s democracy, saying peaceful political contests, such as the one on Saturday, portray Nigeria as a stable democracy.
The President urged all those aggrieved by the election outcome to seek redress through the legal channels.
In addition, the president commended the people of Edo State for their orderly and peaceful conduct during the election, underscoring the maturing of Nigeria’s democracy after 25 years.
“I commend the INEC and our security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise.
“INEC has once again demonstrated that it is committed to organising a free and fair election in our country”, President Tinubu was quoted as saying.
